BANG

BANG

BANG

BANG

BANG

BANG

The sound of gunfire echoes throughout the shooting range as Zion and Carter are practicing using revolvers. Zion and Roland used the construction of flintlocks with the mechanism of a six-shooter and created something akin to Collier pistols. Though Zion is doing well because of his past life, Carter on the other hand........

Carter: Report, Your Highness. I landed zero shots!

Zion: It's natural for you to be bad with a revolver. Its range is shorter than a Rifle thanks to the shorter barrel.

Roland: He's right. You're also using an unfinished product. There are still some kinks and with gunpowder and ammunition we have to figure out. Since the new Alchemist isn't finished, I want you to practice using it for a few days. Zion may be the one doing the spar, but I'd still prefer it if you knew how to use a pistol.

Carter: 'I may not be skilled with these weapons like Iron Axe or Zion, but His Highness must have put his heart into making this. The curves and edges make it oddly beautiful but comfortable.'

Carter notices Roland and Zion picking up the empty shells for later use. 

-With Ash-
Ash can be seen sitting on top of the castle.

Ash: Why are these Witches so stubborn?

She'd been trying to convince any of the Witches to join her, but she hadn't been having any luck.

Ash: Some of them want to stay because of the fourth prince, while others don't want to leave their sisters. Even the town itself is laden in peculiarity...what kind of magic did Roland Wimbledon use to garner such excitement about construction reports? If only Tilly were here, she'd be able to understand.

Ash looks at the sky, trying to make sense of it all. Suddenly, she sees a white blur fly through the sky. Not surprised at the unidentified object, she catches the white blur to see a little bird in her hands. 

Ash: Maggie...did Tilly send you?

Maggie: *Hoot*

Ash: Is she alright?

Maggie: *Hoot*

Ash: Did the sisters at Silver City reach the bay?

Maggie: *Hoot*

Ash: Have you eaten?

As Ash smirks, Maggie looks away in guilt. Giggling, Ash drops crumbs for Maggie to feast on. Maggie enjoys the crumbs before looking at Ash angrily and pecking her head.

Maggie: *Hoot* I'm not a bird *Hoot*!

Ash: Then turn into a human and talk to me.

Maggie: Fine *Hoot*.

Maggie jumps off of Ash's head before getting engulfed in a blue light. The light dies down to reveal another Witch with white hair.

Maggie: I finally found you! I'm so excited! *Hoot* Even though I had my tracking bracelet, it's difficult to figure out your exact location. Shadow said you were assigned to a different task. You're here to recruit the Witches from Border Town. Well, where are they?

Ash: They're unwilling to leave. They trust the prince, Tilly's brother, more than me.

Maggie: Tilly's willing to take us in and her brother is the same....Hm, this doesn't seem all bad. *Hoot*

Ash: I promised to spar with him. But even if I win, he won't let the Witches leave. Tough, I want to try, even if the chances are slim. Tilly's power would grow even if we bring back one Witch.

Maggie: Then I'll wait here with you. Also, I saw a carriage with Church flags when I flew from Dragon Cliff. It held around 10 people.

Ash: Small numbers and flags....probably scouts. Hmph, they're as sensitive as they've ever been. It's all because that prince has no sense of self-preservation, he asked for it. This is good though, I'll tell him when I win the spar.

Ash looks at the quaint town with a smirk.

Ash: Once that time comes, Roland Wimbledon will know how badly he screwed up.

The Next Day
Lightning can be seen flying through the air at higher speeds than usual.

Lightning: This "goggles'' thing Zion gave me is so cool! The wind doesn't affect my eyes no matter how fast I fly! But I wonder who Ezreal is? His Highness and Zion said I looked like them, but I don't know who they are. 

Zion did a couple of test flights with Lightning and made her a pair of goggles after the 5th flight. He saw how she limited her speed due to the wind drying her eyes, so he spent a few hours making the goggles tailored to her size. 

As she flies, Lightning notices an unusual-looking bird flying near her.

Lightning: Woah, that's a fat Pigeon. The food His Highness gives us is really good, but I've gotten tired of bread and mushroom soup. As an explorer and Zion's hunting apprentice, I need meat. And what did teacher say?

Zion: You can't buy happiness, but you can buy meat. It's basically the same thing.

Zion: Eating meat is just an instinct. So live life, eat meat

Lightning wipes drool off of her lips as she imagines the meal the Pigeon can give her.

Lightning: Hehe, it's time to show teacher my skills!

Lightning wipes drool off of her lips as she imagines the meal the Pigeon can give her.

Lightning: Hehe, it's time to show teacher my skills!

With her goal in mind, Lightning charges at the unaware bird. Fearing for its life, the bird quickly flies away, making Lightning chase it at high speeds.

Lightning: Wow, this fella's pretty smart!

Lightning manages to tackle the bird, but gets thrown off of her flight path. Because of this, she crashes into what feels like a wall before getting grabbed. Looking up, she smiled to see her teacher, who was wearing a black sleeveless shirt, black pants, and boots. On his back are a pair of Eagle wings.

Lightning: Teacher! Look at what I got! 

Lightning shows Zion a fearful Pigeon. Zion smiles and pats Lightning's head, who happily leans into them.

Zion: Good job Lil Bolt! This bird will make a hell of a meal.

Hearing this, the Pigeon starts squirming before it glows. Lightning lets it go and it starts floating before turning into a crying girl. Lightning gives a blank start while Zion looks intrigued.

Lightning: What's going on? Where's my bird?!

Maggie: Tilly...I can't go home! I'm gonna be eaten by a person and a scary man!

Lightning: You're....a Witch?

The girl pouts cutely before answering.

Maggie: Yeah *Hoot*.

Lightning: I'm Lightning.

Zion: My name's Zion, what's your name?

Maggie: Maggie. *Hoot* *Hoot* I can't believe you two would eat a bird!

Zion: I've eaten my fair share of birds when I was younger. Mostly for my ability but also for food.

Lightning: Same, except for the ability part.

Maggie: Oh! You have a tracking marker too?

She pointed at Lightning's necklace, making the energetic blonde tilt her head in confusion.

Lightning: Tracking marker? What's that?

Zion: Is that what your bracelet is?

Maggie: Yeah. They can be detected by magic stones. They can determine the location of its wearer.

Lightning: Woah, so you used that to learn I was there?

Maggie: No *Hoot*. Why would I tell you? You just tried to eat me. Also, it's specially made for witches and only reacts to its matched stone.

Lightning lifts her necklace a bit.

Lightning: Well...my dad gave this to me when I was little, I thought it was decorative. Where did you get yours?

Maggie sticks her tongue out at Zion and Lightning.

Maggie: Ash doesn't want me to tell you.

Zion: Oh, you're one of Ash's allies. I've never met a girl as headstrong as her. Even after being turned down by the other Witches, she still tries to convince them to leave.

Maggie: Because it's dangerous! The Church can send troops here anytime.

Zion: That's why I'm here. I'm the Guardian of Border Town and the Witch Union as well as an ability user. Not to mention the inventions me and His Highness work on together.

Maggie gained stars in her eyes at Zion's sentiment. Tilly told the Witches about ability users, but even her knowledge of them is limited. All they know is that ability users are rare and powerful people who can make a Witch's magic seem like party tricks.

Maggie: You have an ability?! I wanna see, I wanna see *Hoot*!

Smirking, Zion stands up and thinks about what he wants to do. Getting an idea, he shifts his arms into that of a Tiger and gains the tail of a Wolf.

Zion: Basic, but you should get the gist. I can use the powers of whatever I eat as long as it's a living thing. That even applies to Demonic Beasts, I've eaten a lot of those throughout my life. It's because of this and His Highness's weapons that Border Town can wipe the floor with the Church.

Lightning: Yeah! His Highness created a weapon that can fire fist-sized metal balls that rip anyone that touches them to shreds. Oh, there's the machine that moves by itself if you boil water with it and a boat made of mud. It's cooler than it sounds.

Maggie: Can I see?

Lightning: Yeah, but only if you join the Witch Union and become one of us.

Maggie: But...I need to go back with Ash...

Lightning: Then you can come back after you do that. And there's even more exciting things to do in the forests near Border Town! Catching Birds and hunting Boar is much more fun than looting beehives or picking mushrooms.

Maggie: Mushroom....Boars...?

Zion: Yeah, you skin them, stick them on a spit, and then roast them. The good thing about meat is that you can season them with things as simple as salt and pepper and the meat melts in your mouth.

The girls drool at the thought of eating boar meat. Zion's cooked Boar for Lightning when they spend time in the forest while Maggie seems to like the descriptions he gives. 

Zion: I have no reason to lie to you, but I'll prove it by cooking some meat.

Lightning springs up at what he says.

Lightning: Yeah! Let's shoot down a bird and cook it!

Maggie: Mm...yeah.

Zion's slightly surprised Maggie wants to hunt birds, but he just smiles and uses his Devour ability to become part Harpy Eagle. The transformation puts stars in the Witches' eyes as he flexes his wings a bit.

Zion: The Harpy Eagle. Not only can I fly 50 mph, but my eyesight is 8 times better than a human's.

They take off and fly through the forest with Zion giving Maggie boosts every now and then. However, he did make sure to stop by the Alchemy Lab to help Roland and Kyle with their project. The girls forage for mushrooms and any edible plants while Zion kills a few Boars and a few different birds. His heart melts at their joyous looks before they fly back to the courtyard, where Wendy happily greets them with their haul. During the evening study, where some of the Witches were taught by Zion, Moon was whispering to one of the sisters about the bird sitting on Zion's head while he was teaching. After Zion was done teaching and gave them their homework, he went to the Northern Mountains to teach some of the soldiers to make bullets from gunpowder and casings as well as how to maintain their Rifles. When he was finally finished with that, he used the food they found in the forest to make a meal for the Witches playing a card game along with some steamed buns. 

-With Maggie-
Maggie flies into the room where Ash is sleeping in for her week's stay.

Ash: Why have you been coming back later every day?

Maggie turns back into a human with a piece of meat in her hand.

Maggie: Zion took me bird hunting today and cooked the birds we hunted. I saved you a drumstick.

Ash: I don't need it.

Maggie: Then I'll eat it!

Ash: It's strange....seeing you eat a drumstick.

Maggie: Sister Ash...do you really have to participate in the spar? I don't think they'll leave with you, life here is pretty nice. Even I want to stay here, the beds are soft and there's plenty of food. The prince has a table in the backyard where he and the witches laugh and eat. He even adds to the conversation. He's different from other annoying elites. Lightning even taught me to play cards, I can teach you if you want.

Ash: No thanks....'Perhaps my ideas were mistaken from the beginning. Most Witches live their lives in constant fear. A comfortable and stable place to live is everything we dream of. Ever since Maggie discovered she was a Witch, she's always been hiding in peasant shacks. This may be the first time she's experienced a peaceful life....'

Maggie: Sister Ash...?

Ash: 'No, this place is constantly under the threat of the Church.' Maggie, this life is only temporary. Border Town will not be able to defend against the Divine Punishment Army.

Maggie: What if they can? Zion's really strong.

Ash: I hope they can, that's why I'm helping verify that. I'll try my hardest during the spar tomorrow. 'Roland seems to think highly of this Zion person, so I'll have to keep my guard up.'

-The next day-
The Witches, Roland, Carter, Iron Axe, and Zion are in the shooting range. Zion and Ash can be seen standing several yards away from each other for the spar. Though Ash slightly blushes at Zion's looks, she's curious about his attire.

Echo: The rules of the duel are very simple: stop once directed, no headshots, and surrender is allowed! As long as you don't die immediately, Nana can quickly restore you with her healing powers! Any questions?

Ash: 'No shield, no sword, no spear, he's not even wearing any armor. Is he using a crossbow?'

Zion: 'Roland insisted I wear a cowboy outfit since I'm using revolvers, but they're still flintlocks. It was hard to make the denim for these jeans.'

Ash: 'I'll just have to rapidly close the distance, that strategy isn't dangerous for me.'

Roland: If not, then let the duel....

Ash grips her sword as Zion grabs his revolvers.

Roland:....begin!

The moment Iron Axe strikes the gong, Ash charges at Zion with her enhanced physical abilities. Zion however uses his fast reflexes to shoot Ash, who dodged the bullet just in time with only a scratch on her face. Seeing how dangerous it is to prolong the match, Ash increases her speed and dodges the bullets Zion shoots at her. She manages to shoulder bash Zion, who barely moves, and hits her with a roundhouse, which sends her flying a considerable distance and into a wall. She shakily stands up, revealing that she was in fact shot by Zion's unorthodox shooting pattern.

Ash: 'I....lost....?'

Ash falls unconscious, but Zion manages to catch her.

Zion: You're a strong warrior, Ash, I respect that.

Timeskip
Groggy, Ash slowly opens her eyes, only to be tackled by a crying Maggie.

Maggie: You're finally awake *Hoot*!

Ash: How....how long was I out for?

Maggie: Just one afternoon *Hoot*. Nana said that we could wake you up anytime as long as you were fully healed. But you're supposed to be tired right now anyway, so you should rest. You'll be a lot more alert and energized when you wake up. Zion gathered your parts for Nana, and Lightning said you'd recover faster with more parts.

Ash starts putting her coat and armor back on.

Ash: Really?

Maggie: Yeah, but there was grass and mud mixed into it, but Zion and Nana said it'll be excreted when you heal. Her magic can differentiate between what's useful and what's not. Oh, where are you going?

Ash: I'm going to see His Highness.

Ash leaves to find Roland's office. Her mind can't help but wander to thoughts about Zion. He's a strong warrior, stronger than opponents she's faced in the past. Despite fighting at a range, that kick he gave her was painful and his reaction speed was too quick to be a normal human. His looks and strength attract her as not only a warrior but as a normal woman. After knocking on the door, she hears Roland say come in. Shaking off her blush, she goes into his office and sees Roland looking at papers.

Ash: You won. I acknowledge you have the power to fight off the Divine Judgement Army. By the way, what was that weapon your knight was using?

Roland pulls out one of the pistols Zion was using during the duel. After it was over, he returned them to Roland as he doesn't use firearms as often.

Roland: This is a Pistol. Thanks to Zion working out any kinks from his field test, all of my soldiers will use this weapon. Even a farmer could defeat a trained Divine Judgement Soldier with one of these.

Ash: Oh, can you give me one?

Roland: Hmm...if you join the Witch Union, sure. Zion's in charge of weapon production, so I'm sure he'll gladly give you one if you join.

Ash: N-never mind then. I have to rendezvous with Tilly as soon as possible, I'll leave Border Town tonight. If anything happens, you can seek shelter with us at the Bay.

Roland: You too. Don't forget to tell your sisters about us. Now, the Western region of Graycastle will have more than one home for Witches.

Ash smirks as she leaves.

Ash: I'll consider it. 

Roland: Before you leave, Zion wanted me to tell you to stop by his workshop before you leave. He didn't say why, but I told him I'd pass his message on.

Nodding, Ash gets escorted to Zion's workshop. It isn't far from Border Town, but it is outside of the wall for easy access to materials. One of the escorts opens the door to reveal a shirtless Zion forging a blade, making Ash get a light blush from his muscular body riddled with scars.

Zion: Oh, you actually came.

Ash: Yes, so what did you want me for?

Zion: When I punched your sword during the duel, it broke if you remember.

Ash: Yes, I remember vividly.

Zion: As an apology for that and almost killing you, I made you a new sword.

Zion grabs a sword from a chest and hands it to her. Ash marvels at the craftsmanship as she holds the blade. In this land, the only people who receive ornate weapons are those of Noble bearing. For Ash to get a blade like this from a common blacksmith is astounding, especially with how menacing yet beautiful the blade looks. 

Zion: This blade isn't made of cheap Pig iron like your last one, it's made of pure steel. There ain't anything like it...unless you consider my armor. Not many people know how to make steel.

Ash: Why does it look so....strange?

Zion: Because it isn't a normal blade. This is Ashbringer, the blade of Ash. Compared to that hunk of iron you used before, which I'm being a little hypocritical, this can be a legendary weapon.

Curious about the blade's performance, Ash starts swinging it like she would her old sword. Zion smirks as she unintentionally does a badass pose with her new weapon.

Zion: A beautiful weapon fit for a beautiful warrior, I'm proud you're wielding it.

Ash blushes and looks away.

Ash: D-don't say such nonsense. But thank you for the blade, I'll remember this.

Before Ash leaves, she gives Zion a quick kiss on the cheek. After that, she leaves rather quickly to save herself the embarrassment. Zion smiles at the tsundere witch before closing his workshop. As he walks, he gains a sort of sadistic smile from a specific scent in the air.

Zion: Church scouts. Let's see how long they last......

Zion's body starts slowly shifting into a human-lion hybrid, blue flames seeping from his maw.

Zion:.......because I'm in the mood to hunt.